Sanderson?”
She sighs. “It just doesn’t work out, okay?”
I slam my fists into the mattress. “But what does that even mean? We don’t get married?”
“Of course you don’t get married! I’m only seventeen!”
“So then what’s the big deal? Just because we break up eventually, we can’t hang out tonight? Sounds crazy to me. How long are we together for, anyway?”
“All of high school. You waste your entire high school experience on him. Trust me, it’s just better to nip this in the bud. Why would you want to even bother going out with him if you know he’s going to hurt you? Are you some kind of masochist?”
“Of course not,” I say. “But what does he do?”
“He does bad things!” she says, choking up.
“Like what?”
“Stuff!”
“What stuff? I need to know all the details before I change the course of my life.”
“He breaks up with us, okay?” she shrieks.
Er. “That’s it?”
“No! He’s also the reason you’re not friends with Karin, Tash, and Joelle anymore.”
“Really? He told you not to be friends with them?”
“Kind of…. You spend all your time together and blow everyone else off.”
“Well, that was dumb of us,” I say. “And not really his fault.”
“It’s not just that.” She clears her throat. “He cheats on you. On us.”
My heart sinks. “He does?”
“Yes.”
“What happens?”
“What difference does it make? It happens. More than once.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah,” she spits out. “I told you. He sucks.”
I twist my hair into a bun. I can’t believe he would do that to me. Not that I know him that well. I’ve had two conversations with the guy. But still. I didn’t know that sweet salsa guy had it in him to be such a jerk. “I’ll do it. I’ll call him. What am I telling him exactly?”
“Tell him you could do better than a jerk like him and that you hope he rots in hell.”
“I can’t say that!”
“He deserves it.” She clears her throat again. “Tell him you aren’t interested. Now. I’m calling you back in five minutes.” She hangs up the phone.
Alrighty then. I’m about to search my calls for his number when my phone rings.
“That wasn’t five minutes,” I say. “Gimme a sec.”
“For what?” Karin asks.
“Hey!”
“Hi! I heard a certain someone asked for your number,” she sings. “Tell me everything! Has he called yet? Did he ask you out?”
“He did!” I exclaim. He really did! He likes me! “How did you know?”
“He called Joelle when we were still in the car. I called you two seconds later but I left a voice mail. I thought you would call me as soon as you spoke to him.”
“Sorry,” I say. “I didn’t hear it. And then, after I got off the phone, I was”—too busy drawing on my wall to amuse my future self—“tired.”
“So how excited are you?” she squeals.
“So excited,” I say. “Except I can’t go.” Boo.
“What? Why not?”
“Because …” Because my future self won’t let me go out with him. That probably sounds a bit on the crazy side. “I just …” Don’t want to go out with a no-good cheater? “I just don’t think I’m up for it tonight. I’m not feeling well.”
“Oh, no! What’s wrong?”
“I’m sick. Really sick. I think it’s the flu.”
“Well. You don’t want to sneeze all over him. Grossness.”
“No kidding.”
“I guess that means you can’t come with me to the mall tomorrow?”
“Oh, um …” Boooooooo. “Guess not.”
“Yeah, you should probably rest up,” she says.
As we hang up, I wonder why I just lied to Karin. Is this how the friend breakup starts? With a lie? Is this why we’re no longer friends? Not that I had a choice.
I take a deep breath. Next, Bryan. I don’t want to call him. Maybe I should just text him instead. Yes! Then I don’t have to talk to him.
Hi Bryan! So sorry! Can’t make it tonight. I’m sick. Really sorry. I’ll see you at school! Devi
Done.
I try calling my number to see
She sighs. “It just doesn’t work out, okay?”
I slam my fists into the mattress. “But what does that even mean? We don’t get married?”
“Of course you don’t get married! I’m only seventeen!”
“So then what’s the big deal? Just because we break up eventually, we can’t hang out tonight? Sounds crazy to me. How long are we together for, anyway?”
“All of high school. You waste your entire high school experience on him. Trust me, it’s just better to nip this in the bud. Why would you want to even bother going out with him if you know he’s going to hurt you? Are you some kind of masochist?”
“Of course not,” I say. “But what does he do?”
“He does bad things!” she says, choking up.
“Like what?”
“Stuff!”
“What stuff? I need to know all the details before I change the course of my life.”
“He breaks up with us, okay?” she shrieks.
Er. “That’s it?”
“No! He’s also the reason you’re not friends with Karin, Tash, and Joelle anymore.”
“Really? He told you not to be friends with them?”
“Kind of…. You spend all your time together and blow everyone else off.”
“Well, that was dumb of us,” I say. “And not really his fault.”
“It’s not just that.” She clears her throat. “He cheats on you. On us.”
My heart sinks. “He does?”
“Yes.”
“What happens?”
“What difference does it make? It happens. More than once.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah,” she spits out. “I told you. He sucks.”
I twist my hair into a bun. I can’t believe he would do that to me. Not that I know him that well. I’ve had two conversations with the guy. But still. I didn’t know that sweet salsa guy had it in him to be such a jerk. “I’ll do it. I’ll call him. What am I telling him exactly?”
“Tell him you could do better than a jerk like him and that you hope he rots in hell.”
“I can’t say that!”
“He deserves it.” She clears her throat again. “Tell him you aren’t interested. Now. I’m calling you back in five minutes.” She hangs up the phone.
Alrighty then. I’m about to search my calls for his number when my phone rings.
“That wasn’t five minutes,” I say. “Gimme a sec.”
“For what?” Karin asks.
“Hey!”
“Hi! I heard a certain someone asked for your number,” she sings. “Tell me everything! Has he called yet? Did he ask you out?”
“He did!” I exclaim. He really did! He likes me! “How did you know?”
“He called Joelle when we were still in the car. I called you two seconds later but I left a voice mail. I thought you would call me as soon as you spoke to him.”
“Sorry,” I say. “I didn’t hear it. And then, after I got off the phone, I was”—too busy drawing on my wall to amuse my future self—“tired.”
“So how excited are you?” she squeals.
“So excited,” I say. “Except I can’t go.” Boo.
“What? Why not?”
“Because …” Because my future self won’t let me go out with him. That probably sounds a bit on the crazy side. “I just …” Don’t want to go out with a no-good cheater? “I just don’t think I’m up for it tonight. I’m not feeling well.”
“Oh, no! What’s wrong?”
“I’m sick. Really sick. I think it’s the flu.”
“Well. You don’t want to sneeze all over him. Grossness.”
“No kidding.”
“I guess that means you can’t come with me to the mall tomorrow?”
“Oh, um …” Boooooooo. “Guess not.”
“Yeah, you should probably rest up,” she says.
As we hang up, I wonder why I just lied to Karin. Is this how the friend breakup starts? With a lie? Is this why we’re no longer friends? Not that I had a choice.
I take a deep breath. Next, Bryan. I don’t want to call him. Maybe I should just text him instead. Yes! Then I don’t have to talk to him.
Hi Bryan! So sorry! Can’t make it tonight. I’m sick. Really sorry. I’ll see you at school! Devi
Done.
I try calling my number to see
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